Bookkeeping.

Bookkeeping advice for Australian small business: BAS, GST, record keeping and the habits that keep books clean.

13 August 2026How much does a bookkeeper cost? Hourly rates, fixed fees, and the numbers most firms will not publishAlmost nobody in bookkeeping publishes a price. Here is how the work is actually priced, what moves the number up or down, and the figures we publish ourselves.14 March 2025Six financial habits that keep a small business out of troubleMost small businesses do not fail because of a bad idea. They fail because of pricing that never got reviewed and GST that got spent.11 December 2024The Best Apps to Digitise Your ReceiptsWhat do a project manager for a construction company and a retail shop owner have in common? They are both handling dozens of invoices and receipts every day, from fuel receipts crumpled in the glovebox, contractor invoices left behind on a job site, or digital receipts lost in email clutter. What’s 4 November 2024BAS 101: what a business activity statement is, when it is due, and what late costsA BAS is not a tax return. Here is what it reports, when it falls due, how the GST maths works, and what late lodgement costs now.1 October 2024Struggling to Manage Payroll? Here’s How to Free Up Your TimeAre you spending countless hours calculating wages, deducting taxes, and keeping up with ever-changing payroll laws? For many businesses in Brisbane, managing payroll is a time-consuming and stressful task—one that takes your attention away from growing your company. Thankfully, bookkeepers like LIN 24 September 2024Employment law changes that affect payroll: what's in force, and what's nextThe Closing Loopholes changes are in force. The question now is whether your payroll reflects them - and which of the remaining changes are worth preparing for.14 September 20216 common bookkeeping myths bustedBookkeeping is an extremely important aspect of any business. Despite this, there are so many myths surrounding what a bookkeeper does, and the real value they bring to businesses. As well as this, they often get confused with accountants, who do a very different job. Because of these myths, many bu 12 August 2020TPAR: who has to lodge one, the 10% rule, and the 28 August deadlineTPAR catches more businesses than the six named industries suggest - the 10% rule is the part most people have never been told about.9 July 2020Overdue BAS and an ATO payment plan: what it costs and how to keep it aliveAn ATO payment plan is finance, not paperwork - and since GIC stopped being deductible it is expensive finance. Here is what it costs and what breaks it.22 January 2020Crossing the $75,000 GST threshold: the 21-day rule and what it costs to miss itOnce GST turnover passes $75,000 you have 21 days to register - and registration backdates to the day you crossed, not the day you applied.7 August 2019You paid for something for the business with your own money. Now what?Paying a business expense personally is normal and entirely claimable - but only if it is recorded as what it actually is. Here is how that works.

What we write about here

Most bookkeeping questions from small business owners are not really about bookkeeping. They are about a BAS that is due, a threshold that has been crossed, or a pile of receipts that has stopped being ignorable. The articles here answer those, with current figures rather than general principles.

Two things we try to be specific about: dates and numbers. A page that tells you GST is “around 10%” and BAS is “due quarterly” has told you nothing you did not already know. Where a threshold, penalty or interest rate applies, it is stated, dated, and checked against the ATO.

We are a registered BAS agent, which sets the boundary of what we write. Lodgement, GST coding, record keeping and the mechanics of dealing with the ATO are ours. Tax structuring and tax planning sit with accountants, and we say so where the line falls.